Hollywood Arts' social hierarchy
by AniZH
Summary: Robbie educates Tori on Hollywood Arts' social hierarchy.


Hey, guys!  
This is a one shot that was mostly written for a long time. I never knew if I would upload it, but I thought I should share what I've got. ;)  
The thing with this one shot is that's it's all tell, when everyone says you should show, instead of tell. So I was always thinking if I could put this idea in another context and show more but I wouldn't know how. Which is why I'm sharing this now. I am generally satisfied with it.  
I don't know if this is for any of you. It's really just a simple little story.  
Enjoy!

* * *

They read a book in their ethics class and now have to do presentations in groups of two about different issues the book raised. It's for their final grade for the school year and Robbie and Tori get the topic of social hierarchies.

They are sitting in Tori's living room now and talk about how to go about their presentation. Their teacher asked them to connect the topics to their own lives and to always show the class why it's relevant for all of them. That's why Tori and Robbie talk about show business at first and the hierarchy there, before they think about their families and finally, Robbie suggests: "Maybe, we could also do it about hierachies in high school. We could start with social hierachies in general and then we could compare the one at Hollywood Arts with that of a, well, normal high school."

Okay, what? Tori's confused. "Hollywood Arts doesn't have a hierarchy."

Robbie furls his eyebrows at her, as confused as she is, as he says: "Yes, it does."

No, Tori knows that it isn't true. She remembers her old high school and they definitely have had a hierarchy there. But at Hollywood Arts? She never sees anyone running after any group of sorts at Hollywood Arts like they did in Sherwood with the jocks and cheerleaders like at all those high school in teen movies. There were... weirdos at Sherwood who weren't treated well and that was probably the same at Hollywood Arts with Sinjin and other students like him but Tori doesn't think it's as extreme. Well, and even if it is with them... You don't just need a bottom for a hierarchy but also a clear top, right? And that just doesn't exist at Hollywood Arts.

"There are no jocks at Hollywood Arts," Tori therefore says.

"Of course there aren't," Robbie agrees. "But that's exactly how it's different than those high schools from movies. Which we could show to demonstrate how different hierarchies can work. But we still have a social hierarchy. I guess you've never noticed because you were high up from the first minute on and the people on top don't notice it as much."

"What?" Tori instantly says. "I'm not high up any social hierarchy." She has never been. Even the mere thought is ridiculous to her. In Sherwood she was one of the 'normal' ones, neither very high nor very low to be noticed much. If there really is any sort of hierarchy at Hollywood Arts, she's sure she's in the middle there as well.

"You are," Robbie says, confused but amused all the same as if he finds it both weird and funny that Tori hasn't known before. And finally, he starts actually explaining: "At Hollywood Arts, it's a lot about talent. But of course, looks and charm and stuff like that always count in as well. It probably does at every social hierarchy. Like... it counts against you if you are socially awkward and stuff. You aren't socially awkward at all, quite the opposite. You're good looking and everyone in school saw your performance at the annual showcase which got you into the school, so everyone saw you're extremely talented right away. Especially as word got around that you hadn't had any professional training prior to that performance, so everyone knew it was actual raw talent."

Tori feels flattered. She always does when someone calls her talented or her singing good. She enjoys that many people think so.

Robbie continues: "You could've gotten hurt by being Trina's sister who never was all that popular but... you also kind of were friends with Andre already when you got in and you easily befriended Cat and Beck as well and they're all high up the social hierarchy. Beck also protected you from Jade who could've destroyed you socially. She has done it before with girls who've gotten too close to Beck. I mean... I guess you would've always been protected from being treated too badly like I am, as long as you would've been part of the group in one way or another, no matter what Jade would've done. But life would've been different for you then and you definitely would know about the social hierarchy."

Tori needs a moment. No. This isn't true.

"I feel like we're talking about two totally different schools," she finally says. "What even happens to those who are low in this supposed Hollywood Arts' hierarchy?"

Robbie considers that for a moment, then he shrugs: "It's not like anyone gets thrown in dumpsters or stuff like that. Though people do get tripped and get called bad names from time to time. But otherwise it's more about... Well, it's about the way you get listened to in class, the way people think about your ideas when you're doing projects together in bigger groups. About the way everyone reacts when you get a role, especially the lead. It does make a difference. I was really low at the beginning until I had to do a project together with Beck. I thought it couldn't work because he was already pretty high up there. But you know him: He didn't care about that. None of them do. But Beck really took his time, listened to my idea and through the project we eventually became friends. I started sitting with him and Andre and suddenly, people considered my ideas at least a little bit. I never got tripped again and rarely have gotten called names since then. If I leave Rex anywhere, they take his clothes and stuff but only because they know none of you care about that, so they can keep doing that. Because I'm only popular by association and not by myself."

Tori looks at him with an open mouth. That sounds terrible and sad and depressing, especially with Robbie's matter-of-fact voice. How he says that he's not popular and only 'protected' because he befriended the right people?

He can's be serious. Tori can't believe it. And yet... somehow, it sounds true for her.

"Why are the others so popular though?" she finally asks.

If she got help by Beck, Andre and Cat for her apparent status and Robbie also got protected by all of them while Jade could've destroyed Tori's status... How? Of course they all are talented and good looking and not awkward at all but... that's probably true for a lot of other Hollywood Arts' students as well. They can't all be high up the social hierarchy. There has to be a definite reason why they are higher up, right?

Robbie doesn't seem put off by her question to explore their friends' popularity, quite the opposite.

"Let's see," he says. "I think Beck's pretty obvious. He's extremely good looking and apparently some junior or even senior girls who were popular were after him the second he walked through the doors. So he climbed the ladder really fast. Him being awesomely nice and an extremely good actor secured his status very high up."

He ticks on of four fingers off that probably presents each their friends, and goes to the next: "Andre belonged in the middle for some time though he and Beck became fast friends which put him a little higher by association. Then everyone noticed his extraordinary talent in music and with his very cool and chill attitude about it, he of course also climbed up right next to Beck."

It makes sense. Andre is one of the biggest talents in music at their school, if not the biggest. If it's about talent and looks (and not being socially awkward), of course he would be high up the hierarchy as his talent is one of the biggest.

Robbie continues: "I guess Jade was also in the middle at the beginning but then we all had to do the Bird Scene and she passed on her first try in front of Sikowitz' Junior acting class."

"She passed on her first try?" Tori asks surprised and unbelieving. She has heard that it was rare to pass on your first try. Nobody ever told her that Jade did it that quickly – not even Jade after Tori failed her first try.

Robbie smiles. "Yeah. And if you do that, you just are high up Hollywood Arts' social hierarchy from that moment on. Her looks, attitude and talent of course also secured her standing there. But yeah, she went up there her first month of our Freshman year as well. Cat meanwhile..."

While Robbie seemed almost proud talking about their other friends, he now grows uncomfortable. "She wasn't popular at all in the beginning. Rather the opposite. You know how Cat can be... Other students thought of her as dumb or annoying or both, so she kind of... sank lower and lower within the hierarchy. Nobody took her seriously."

"But then everyone noticed how amazing she can sing?" Tori checks. They must have noticed at some point and somehow, that must have propelled her up, right? She is one of the most amazing singers in their school, just like Andre is a composer.

Robbie shakes his head. "If you are low in the hierarchy, no talent in the world can actually get you up again. Because nobody listens to you. Even if you do amazing things, everybody will only laugh or even complain if you get the lead role in a play or get to open a big showcase or alike. Nobody will watch and listen how you do, because that's how the hierarchy works at our school."

But didn't Robbie say Cat was popular too at the beginning of their talk about all of this? How can she be then?

Robbie sees the confusion in her face and says: "Jade became friends with Cat though. And that protected her and made people listen to her and finally also care for her talent. Only that association made people recognize Cat's amazing voice. By now, she's having a status on her own as well."

Okay, wait a minute. "Jade became friends with Cat?"

Tori never thought about how the group got together but she always would've expected Cat being friends with Robbie, Andre and Beck first and Jade kind of only becoming everyone's friend because she got together with Beck and Beck made her hang out with everyone. She never thought it possible for Jade and Cat to be friends first though Robbie makes it sound like that.

Robbie nods, slightly amused as he seems to get why Tori is surprised. "Yeah. For some reason, Cat clung to Jade from very early on but even as Jade got popular, Cat sank lower because everybody thought Jade didn't like her and therefore Cat wasn't protected by association. Until someone tripped Cat in the hallways and called her ditzy and Jade went up to them and punched them."

Tori's eyes widen. So Jade punched someone for calling Cat a bad word. ... Well, okay, she can totally believe that. But that didn't hurt Jade's social status then? Well, maybe not, if she already was high up. People who are popular get so many passes in life... She can actually believe that it wouldn't make her more unpopular to punch someone.

But can Jade really be popular? Though yeah, now that she thinks about it, she's sure she heard, especially girls, tell Jade before to not destroy them socially when they did something she wouldn't appreciate. And though Jade is rude and never likes talking to too many people, Tori also often finds her with other students in the hallways, talking about their classes. Because they want to hear her opinion, because it counts?

She can believe Beck and Andre to be popular. Well, and Cat also gets listened to surprisingly often, considering that her ideas are always all over the place and barely make any sense. Nobody but the teachers or, well, Jade ever call her out for it. She also has sort of a free pass within the student body.

But if Robbie is right about all of this, it must mean that Tori really is popular too.

Well, but as she's thinking about it... She always takes reign of every project she participates in and noone at Hollywood Arts every complained, except her friends possibly. Even though she got a lead role in a play right away, when she got into Hollywood Arts, without any experience in acting, nobody ever badmouthed her. Everyone always asks for her opinions, especially in their art classes.

That's all what Robbie is talking about, isn't he? That's what it's like to be popular at Hollywood Arts.

And it isn't about every single thing going right for you or nobody ever laughing at you. It's more about the general appreciation, about the respect other students give you, how much worth your words have...

"I can't believe it," Tori murmurs.

Robbie's amused once more. "Well, I'm happy I was able to educate you. If we can do that with the rest of the class as well..."


End file.
